How to Eat Healthy on a Budget!

I hear it all the time: claims that you can’t eat healthy on a budget. Well, It’s just not true. You may have to plan things out a bit more, but the extra time is worth it. You can nourish your family with the best foods if you know where to look and what to buy. You don’t have to buy all organic produce or feel like you can only shop at high end grocery stores to make a difference in your lifestyle. Compare a pound of quinoa at around $3.99 that makes several meals, versus one fast food meal that costs at least $5.00. Plan, and you can save and be healthy.

Here are some easy tips to keep a healthy diet, no matter what your budget is:

Buy in Bulk

You can buy produce and Beauty Food staples in bulk at stores like Costco, and that can save you a surprising amount of money. You can purchase raw nuts, seeds, grains, spices, and condiments and then store them in airtight containers in your pantry so you’re always stocked up. They even have great produce items, like big bags of organic spinach or carrots.

If you can set aside one day per week to make your Glowing Green Smoothies and prepare (and in some cases, freeze) your meals, you won’t have to worry about the produce going bad, so you’ll be saving time and money.

(Tip: You can freeze your Glowing Green Smoothies and move one from freezer to fridge each night so you have one ready to go first thing in the morning. Just give it a stir in the morning!)

Stores Like Trader Joe’s and Aldi

While you won’t be buying in bulk and you may not be buying all organic produce in these stores, you can save money when you bypass the premade foods (especially at Trader Joe’s) and go straight for the fresh, natural ingredients. TJ’s has great lemons, avocados, organic romaine hearts and more. At Aldi stores, you can sometimes find produce at a fraction of the cost you would in other grocery stores. Just keep the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen in mind as you shop (you may want to make a list so you don’t forget what’s on each list!) so you can put more money to buying organic for the “dirty” produce items, which have more pesticides.

The Dirty Dozen

If you can’t go completely organic, do as much good as you can by purchasing as much organic food on the Dirty Dozen list as possible. EWG’s list of the Dirty Dozen includes the produce you should do your best- given your budget- to buy organic because of the amount of pesticides sprayed on them (if budget is a serious issue and you can’t get these organic either, soak for at least half an hour with veggie wash and water, or diluted raw apple cider vinegar).

Spinach

Lettuce

Apples

Celery

Sweet bell peppers

Potatoes

Peaches

Nectarines

Strawberries

Pears

Grapes

Cherries

There’s also a list of the Clean Fifteen, which you don’t necessarily need to purchase organic:

Avocados

Onions

Cabbage

Sweet peas

Eggplant

Domestic cantaloupe

Kiwi

Asparagus

Mango

Pineapple

Sweet corn

Watermelon

Sweet potatoes

Grapefruit

Mushrooms

By just following this list, you can cut down on up to 80 percent of your pesticide consumption. If you’re buying produce that you’ll be removing the outer peel from anyway, you can usually get away without buying organic. However, the nutritional content may not be as high in conventionally grown produce as it is in organic.

Scout Out the Sales and Plan Your Shopping List Accordingly

Planning ahead can allow you to save money on your grocery bill, too. Apps like Food on the Table and PushPins let you enter the grocery stores you typically visit and they’ll alert you to any sales. Be sure to check weekly ad circulars to get a good idea of what’s on sale when you start planning your meals.

You may not find produce on the list very often, but you could stock up on Beauty Grains, for example, or other items that you tend to buy when you’re grocery shopping, like toothpaste and toilet paper. Every little bit of savings counts, right? Being aware of the current and upcoming sales will show you where you should shop this week for the greatest savings and may even inspire you to be creative with your Beauty Detox-friendly meal planning.

Shopping for what’s in season will also save you money, with no need for coupons or special ads. Don’t be afraid to make changes to your Beauty Detox Recipes based on what’s in season.

Make Your Food Last

If you hate buying produce only to find that it’s gone bad before you’ve had a chance to enjoy it, employ a few techniques to keep your food fresh as long as possible. There’s a fabulous collection of tips on Buzzfeed, like how to keep onions for up to eight months when you store them in pantyhose, and how to make your bananas last longer by wrapping the top of the bunch in plastic wrap.

Some of my favorite storage tips include:

Store your sweet potatoes, garlic, and onions in a dark, cool place.

Delicate greens and celery should be eaten within a few days. Keep them in a bag until it’s time to wash them, then wash them in cold water. You can do the same with other Beauty Greens, like kale, but the heartier varieties will last a little longer in the refrigerator before you get around to eating them.

These tips won’t necessarily save you money on your grocery trip unless you’re shopping the sales and buy more than you need even if you don’t know what you’ll do with it yet, but they may prevent you from needing to return to the store to re-purchase ingredients that went bad in your refrigerator or on the counter.

Beauty Detox Recipes that Don’t Cost a Fortune to Make

I’ve shared several recipes here and in Beauty Detox Foods that are nutritious, affordable, and taste amazing. Here are a few of my favorites—and they don’t cost much more than $5 per person to make, if that:

In fact, most of the Beauty Detox recipes are relatively inexpensive to make once you have a well-stocked spice cabinet and pantry with all the basics.

The Beauty Detox Plant-Based Diet Is Less Expensive Than One that Involves Meat

Just by skipping over the pre-packaged foods where you pay extra for the convenience of having to do less of the cooking and prep work, you’ll find that you’re saving a lot of money. If you’re following the Beauty Detox plan and avoiding meat, you’ll spend less overall because a plant-based diet is so much cheaper than one that features an animal protein at just about every meal. Cook up some sweet potatoes or millet and make a huge salad at the beginning of the week, and pull from it for a few days so you aren’t in a huge bind and tired after work and end up buying more food out.

Be disciplined on Sundays or at least one day during the week to make some things- and you will end up saving a lot of moola and eat better. And feel much better, I might add!

Grow Your Own Foods and Herbs

You may be surprised just how easy it is to grow some foods—or in the very least, herbs—in your home. Try growing basil, cilantro, or rosemary by your kitchen window. Ha! you might say, how can I do that? While we’re all really busy, these are things that honestly won’t take up much of your time. You can buy plants in the grocery store that will pay for themselves several times over. As for more substantial foods, start a container garden on your balcony or deck if you have the space, and you can grow tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, carrots, and more. Some people line up mason jars on their walls inside and grow a variety of herbs there.

There’s nothing fresher than produce picked off of your own plants right before they go into your meals. It will cost a bit more upfront to purchase the container, the soil, and the seeds, but as long as you plan ahead and take good care of the plants, you’ll be able to save money in the long run. You can have your own little mini-garden of Beauty Foods in no time, and there’s something so satisfying about pulling your next meal off of plants you cared for with your own hands.

Learn How to Make the Most of Your Produce

Get creative and invent new ways to use the parts of the plants you might not normally use. For example, try something with lemon zest if you bought organic lemons for your daily hot water with lemon or your Glowing Green Smoothies. Find new ways to use almond pulp after you’ve made almond milk (try dehydrating it and making crackers!). When you use your produce in new ways, you’re spending less on other products, like crackers.

Community Supported Agriculture Groups and Farmers’ Markets

With community supported agriculture groups, you make monthly payments and get weekly boxes of fresh produce from farms during harvest times and growing seasons. You get to build a relationship with the farmer, save money, and the mix of fruits and vegetables you get in your box each week will inspire you to be creative in the meals you cook. You’ll get a variety of Beauty Foods in the freshest possible state, right off the farm without days of travel time between the farm and your table.

If you eat eggs, you may be able to get fresh eggs—eggs that haven’t been bathed in chlorine like the ones at the grocery store have—through a CSA group.

There is a slight risk involved for everyone who participates, though: if the crops do poorly for some reason, you don’t get your money back. If the crops are abundant, you’ll have a nice box of beautiful produce each week. Everyone’s in it together no matter what the outcome.

Farmers’ markets are a great way to get fresh, local produce for less. To find local farmers’ markets and CSAs, visit LocalHarvest.org. They’re usually held once per week in the same location. There’s less risk involved than there is with a CSA. You simply find your nearest market, head over, and purchase what you think looks good. You’ll get to know the farmers, ask them questions about their farming practices, and have exposure to new vegetables and fruits this way, too.

Try these tips, save, and live the best life you can, which includes a clean, healthy diet. You deserve it!

32 Comments

Chloe
on May 14, 2013 at 11:23 am

This is excellent advice! I often hear this from my friends all the time who know I eat an organic, plant-based diet. I’ve had such fun frequenting my local farmer’s market, and also reaping the wonderful rewards my organic garden yields. I was amazed by how much fresh produce I harvested from my garden in just a few weeks and it was so inexpensive! The organic produce one grows themselves also tastes better than conventional goods from a grocery store :)

I will try once more I live alone and am disabled. I am also a vegaterians and it is hard for me to shope every day. I also live in a townhome where I only have a deck. So planting a garden will not work. So how can I eat healthy on a budget. I end up throwing away so much food and many days when I am sick I don’t even eat. I can’t afford to waste money so I need to find a way to make easy meals that will be good for me. I did buy your book so maybe the answer is in there. It is very hard to write on here as I can’t see what I am typing. So this is my last try. Thanks.

Thank you so much for the great article! Just today I was struggling with my budjet and reading this post gave me so much positive energy and tips. Unfortunately most of the tips don’t work in practise outside US, at least in here that one pound of quinoa is more likely 7 bucks. Can’t buy bulks or sales either, the availability of organic produces is quite nonexistent. We do have “organic food circle” with several households. Together we can purchase products from wholesale a bit cheaper. So once a week I fill out a form, pay with bank transfer and then a few days later I can fetch my things from assigned drop point. It’s always a certain day and 2h window when you need to fetch your things. Everyone does some voluntary work, like packing or handling the orders.

I’ve never seen organic kale in Finnish stores.. You need luck even to find the regular type, but then you’ll face the problem whether or not buy it because of the pesticides. I’ve never seen veggie wash in health stores, but if soaking in diluted apple cider vinegar works the same way this is so going to save my green smoothies and kale chips!! Thank you so much!

I would like to comment that organic is not necessarily more nutritious than regular food. It won’t kill you with pesticides. As an organic grower we’ve done testing thru SOUL and any food from a supermarket has lost a lot of nutrients. Best is to grow your own – pick before you eat. An eye opening test was buying organic from the supermarket/Costco and then picking from an organic garden – no comparison there was 90% more nutrient in fresh picked. Testing organic to non organic from a supermarket for nutrition they were both the same – one is just safer.

Also watch for GMO products – we don’t eat corn for that very reason. If buying seed to grow your own produce make sure it’s open pollinated or heritage. Soy is another bad, bad product that doesn’t make it on our plates.

We’re blessed to grow food all year round here but in winter I also do sprouts a lot – you know for those rainy, cold days I just don’t want to go out and pick in. You can get a great variety of foods thru sprouts and micro greens – it’s cheaper to order from the source and not buy in packets. In Canada I order from Mumm’s. Split with a friend to make it even cheaper and get a variety.

I agree it’s much cheaper to make your own foods than buy pre-made or fast food and you know what you’re getting. Cook in batches and freeze nutritious soups for ‘fast food’.

Great tips as always. I have recently gone back to stores like Costco and aldi, after realizing that Whole Foods was not sustainble for me, although we do purchase some foods there in bulk. Costco has gret produce, greens, dates and beans as well as organic quinoa.

Really great tips! We buy lots of produce but sometimes it spoils before we can enjoy it so I especially love your tips on making it last longer. Thank you! I’m a huge advocate of drinking what I call “Beauty Juice” every day. Such a wonderful surprise to discover your site today. Again, warmest thanks for sharing your fabulous tips!

Great advice and oh so true. When you don’t buy all the junk food, eat fast food plus buy cigarettes and alcohol, there is money for eating healthy. I had someone say to me the other day that they can’t afford to eat healthy as she was smoking a cigarette. I said, “If you stopped smoking, you would”. She laughed and said, you’re right”.

Anyone who says a vegan diet is expensive is just looking for excuses. My husband is a janitor and I’m laid off, and we eat the style Dr Fuhrman refers to as nutritarian.
I rarely buy organic because we simply cannot afford it, but I do peel veggies and scrub them. We do splurge for organic on berries as they cant be scrubbed or peeled.
Also we buy some fresh, and a lot of frozen on veggies and fruits, we buy quinoa although it is 5.99 per pound here. We save a lot of money by drinking this thing called water (grin), eating plant based IS cheap if you don’t buy soy fake food. Is there much difference between soy fake foods and mcd*****s? Probably not.
Greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, even shitake are inexpensive these days, berries and seeds is cheap. Fancy bottled beverages and vegan soy this and that… aren’t.
I found Kim’s book at a supermarket recently and was thrilled to see the recipes were our kind of food, so I bought it without having ever heard of her. I am SO glad I did. I just made her glowing green smoothie and hubby and I absolutely loved it. Her knowledge is spot on. Brilliant.

Though the EWG list is good, I would highly recommend not buying corn if it is not organic. Genetically Engineered Sweet Corn is now available on the market and it does not have to be labeled. No matter what people have to say about the safety or GE vegetables, no one can deny that they are heavily sprayed with herbicides that they are immune to. My personal clean list is much smaller.

Awesome post. Your tips are great! I’m surprised not to see bananas on the Clean Fifteen list. I’ve always considered them pretty clean. Do you know where bananas stand on this issue? I’m curious to know! Sticking to the Dirty Dozen is really important to me. I refuse to compromise my health for cheaper apples and bell peppers!

Very informative. I’ve created a tiny spinach garden. Because Spinach is one of the most satisfying cool-weather crops to grow, producing large yields of vitamin-rich, dark green leaves that are excellent for salads and for cooking.Now I’m planning to make an organic farm of seasonal vegetable.Thanks for your article.It encourages me a lot.

Thank you for always giving just the right amount of insightful info and being to the point. Also, I greatly appreciate that you DO point out that you can do this on a budget and at even, some, Aldi’s. I always get a few at Aldi’s to save a little extra, then Kroger, then Jungle Jim’s, etc. But always look for quality. :-) Thanks Kimberly!

Great article, I’ve just started reading your book, love love love what Im learning. I did want to share a new gadget I recently came across…. cost about $50.00 goes on the top shelf of your fridge and make veggies last 3X as long. Berryybreeze.com check it out .